Flume construction



Jan. 1, 1924 W. J. SMITH FLUME CONSTRUCTION Filed May 2, 1921 Patented Jan. 1, 1924.

STATES WILLIAM :1. SMITH, F DENVER, COLORADO, Assrenon or ONE-FOURTHiTOJAMES s.

DE EEAIVIEB AND ONE-FOURTH TO CARL B. DANIELS, BOTH OF DENVER, COLORADO.

FLUME CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed May 2, 1921. Serial No. 466,078.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at 1665 Jackson Street, in the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flume Constructions; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification, v

The object of this invention is to provide a construction for water-carrying fiumes which is simple, comparatively cheap to manufacture and install and comparatively light in weight.

Briefly, the invention comprises:

A channel shaped hanger adapted to receive abutting rolled ends of adjacent sections of flume material within the channel so that the joint may be sealed by means of a composition. Preferably sheets of metal forming the flume sections are sutficiently light to be flexible, whereby the weight of the middle portion of each sheet will itself cause the sheet to bend as it is placed in position on the hangers. If desired, a locking bar may be employed, and in any event clamps are employed to engage the upper edges of the sheets at each joint.

In the drawings:

Fig.1 is a perspective showing adjacent ends of two sheets of material to be used in setting up the flume.

Fig. 2 is a perspective of one of the channel shaped hangers.

Fig. 3 is a perspective of a locking bar to be used at each joint.

' Fig. a is a side elevationof a clamp.

Fig. 5' is a section through the clamp.

Fig. 6 is an elevation of a bolt used to secure the clamp in an operative position.

Fig. 7 is a perspective showing the clamp in operative position.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing one arrangement of the parts at the joint.

Fig. 9 is a similar View showing a slightly modified form of joint.

The drawings show flexible metallic sheets 10, of such weight that they will perform the desired function and at the same time will bend into arcuate form as they are lowered into position. Each end of each sheet 10 is provided with a downwardly curved'lip 12, and if desired, each sheet may be provided with shallow, reinforcing beads 14.

The ends of the sheets 10 are adapted to rest upon arcuate channel shaped hangers 15, the lips 12 on the ends of the sheets being received in the channel 16 (Fig. 2) of the hanger. The ends of each hanger are bent in a horizontal position as indicated at 18 in order to rest on the upperface of supporting beams B.

When the sheets 10 are placed in position the opposed lips 12 are preferably separated somewhat as seen in Figs. 8 and 9 and the space within the channel 16 may then be filled with a sealing composition C so as to produce a water-tight joint. This composition may be of any heavy, more or less tarry substance which may be melted or softened so as to be applied to the joint without difficulty. The joint may be modified and somewhat strengthened, if desired, by means of a T-shaped locking bar 20, the stem of which is embedded in the composition C and extends downward between the lips 12 while thecross bar spans the joint so as to engage the upper curved surfaces of the lips 12 to more positively retain same. This joint may be further modified by employing a piece of waterproof fabric F such as well known roofing fabric which is positioned between the walls 115 of the hanger and the under faces of the lips 12. In this manner the composition C serves to seal the joint between fabric F, lips 12 and the locking bar 20.

The upper edges of the sheets 10 and the upper ends of the locking bar 20, if employed, are engaged and retained in operative position by means of clamps which are cut away at the sides to provide shoulders as indicated at 26 Fig. 4, and the narrower depending shank 28 adapted to be re ceived between the side Walls of the horizontal ends 18 of the hangers whereby each clamp is positioned. .The inner end of the shank 28 is provided with a depending proj'ection 30 adapted to be received in the bottom of the channel 16 behind the upper edges ofthe-sheets 10. The upper portion of each clamp25 is provided at-its inner end with a head 32 to overhang the upper edges of the sheets 10 and upper ends of the lock-' ing bars 20 the head 32 being provided with a depending retaining tongue 34: which engages the inner faces of the lips 12 and the locking bars 20.

V Clamps 25 are retained by means of bolts 85 which project through openings in the clamps 25, hangers 15 and supporting beams B, nuts 36 being provided on the lower ends of said bolts 85 to maintainthe clamping relation.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a water tight joint is readily produced. without over-lapping the ends of adjacent flume sections. In this manner considerable material is saved so that, for a given amount of sheet metal a considerable longer section of flume may be constructed. In actual practice this increase in length approximates eight per cent over that where over-lapping joints are employed. At the same time, the weight of a given length of flume is materially reduced, which is an advantage both so far as freight costs are concerned and so far as initial cost of the materials themselves are concerned. At the same time the composition 0 takes care of any expansion due to temperature changes. It is understood that this composition is of such consistency that it will not run from the heat of the sun and will not chip or crack in cold Weather so as to destroy the water tightness ofthe joint. 7

It will also be noted that by arranging bolt 35 so that the head is uppermost and the nut 36 is beneath the beam B that rusting of the threads is largely prevented and at the same time the strain is placed upon the upper part of the shank of the bolt which is unthreaded and Where its strength is greatest. Further than this, thepresent arrangement imposes no particular strain upon the threads other than to retain the flume in position. The weight of the flume sections themselves is not upon the threads at all.

I claim:

'1. In flume construction, a channel shaped hanger, a pair of opposed sections having their ends disposed in the channel, and clamping members engaging the upper edges of said sections to retain the same in engagement with the hanger, the outer portions of said clamping members being removably secured in the channel of the hanger.

2. In flume construction, a channel shaped hanger, a pair of opposedsections having their ends disposed inthe channel, a com position sealing the joint at said ends, and clamping members engaging the upper edges of said sections to retain the same in engagement with the hanger, the outer portions of said clamping members being secured in the channel of the hanger, each clamping member having a depending projection to enter the channel between the bottom thereof and the under faces of the metal sections, and a second depending projection to engage the upper faces of said sections.

3. In a flume construction, a channel shaped hanger, a pair of opposed flume sections having their ends disposed in the channel, clamping members engaging the upper edges of said sect-ions to retain the same in engagement with the hanger, each clamping member having a depending projection to enter the channel between the bottom thereof and the under faces of the metal sections, and a second depending projection to engage the upper faces of said sections.

4. In flume construction, a channel shaped hanger, a pair of opposed sections having their extremities disposed within the channel, a composition sealing the joint at said ends, and a locking bar engaging the upper faces of said sections directly opposite the hanger, said locking bar being T-shaped.'

5. In flume construction, longitudinally extending supporting beams, channel shaped hangers having their middle portions depending between said beams and having their ends bent horizontally and resting upon the beams, flume sections carried by the hangers, and clamps for said members whose outer portions are secured in the channels of said hanger ends.

6. In flume construction, a channel'shaped hanger, a pair of opposed sections having their ends disposed in the channel, the ends of the hanger being bent laterally and being also channel shaped, and clamping members engaging the upper edges of the sections to retain them in engagement with the hanger, the outer portions of the clamping members being secured in the channels of said hanger ends.

7. In flume construction, a hanger, a pair of opposed flume sections having their ends engaging the hanger, clamping members engaging the upper edges of said sections to maintain engagement thereof with the hanger, each clamping member having a depending projection to engage between the hanger and the under faces of .the sections, and a second depending projection to engage on the opposite faces thereof.

8. In flume construction, a channel shaped V hanger, a pair of opposed flume sections having offset lips on their ends depending into the channel, and a sealing composition and a fabric-composition strip sealing the joints between the hanger and the sections.

9. In flume construction, a channel shaped hanger, a pair of opposed flume sections having lips on their'ends whose extremities are disposed within the channel, a locking bar engaging said lips and having T-shaped form, and a fabric-composition strip sealmg the oints between the hanger and the sections.

10. In flume construction, a channel shaped hanger, a pair of opposed flume sections having ofl'set lips on their ends the extremities of said lips being positioned Within the channel and being spaced from one another and longitudinally movable toproduce an expansion joint, and sealing material in the joint thus formed whereby the hanger directly engages and retains the 10 sealing material.

11. In flume construction, a channel shaped hanger, a pair of adjacent flume sections having offset lips on their ends, the extremities of the lips being positioned Within the channel and longitudinally movable therein to form an expansion joint, and

sealing composition in the joint thus formed.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM J. SMITI-Lg 

